The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday, Jan. 11, said a Catholic bishop openly told his flock not to sign the Charter change campaign "through people's initiative."
Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay in northern Palawan province commanded the people to decline the signature campaign.
“Tell people not to sign! This is not an initiative of the people but of some politicians,” Pabillo said in a statement.
CBCP said Pabillo is the first bishop to publicly speak contrary to the venture in amending the nation’s Constitution.
CBCP noted that in the past, it stressed that any action for Charter change must be "in the best interest of the people and the nation."
"The bishops also had also long preferred the use of a constitutional convention over other methods, such as Congress acting as constituent assembly," it said.